Phantom's Crown: Crusade
by Skittlinq
Summary: The Pokémon League has been overthrown, and a man has settled himself as King. He rules with fear, invoking terror among the commonfolk. A resistance group has formed, and they call for you to aid them in their cause. Will you answer? Or will you defend the Crown? SYOC still open! Accepting OCs! [On Hiatus]
1. Mae

**A/N : First time posting a story… so scary. D; Anyway, yeah. I've been lurking around for about… two years? But this is my first time writing so please go easy on me! xo**

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><p><strong>FULL SUMMARY:<strong>**  
><strong>_In the distant future, the Pokémon League has been overthrown, and a man has settled himself as a King. He rules with fear, invoking terror among the commonfolk._

_Pokéballs have been confiscated, Pokémon Centres and marts have been closed, and the sport of battling and taming Pokémon has been decreed illegal. Only the King's men are an exception to this law. The beasts that once co-existed with humans are now being used to keep the people submissive._

_Anyone who dares rebel will answer to Death.**  
><strong>  
>The leading resistance group has acted. The first move has been made, and for the first time, the crown atop the King's head is at the risk of toppling. Will you add your strength to their cause, or will you defend the Crown? <em>

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><p><strong>Phantom's Crown: Crusade<strong>

**Chapter One**

**Mae****  
><strong>…

"Thief! Stop!" someone shouted. "The King's guards command it! Stop!"

_What a joke, _the thief thought. She hugged the two bags closer to her, unwilling to surrender them. Turning around, she took in the dusty, dirty, bland surroundings. _There they are!_ Delighted, she looked down at the two small figures clad in armour, brandishing their spears.

Light, lilac eyes darted around, alive with excitement. A fifteen-year-old girl smirked as she scanned the streets below for hidden guards.

"Give back what you stole, and we'll make your death less painful!" the shorter, stouter one spat.

Mae sighed. "How reassuring!" she shouted back, answering their vexatious demands. "I'm sure my mother would love it if you turned up at her door one day, with my severed head…"

"We speak with the voice of the King!"

She ignored that. The King didn't have a very elegant voice. "I'll give this back to you…" her insolent eyes blinked as she dangled the smaller bag in front of her. It was filled halfway, and coins rattled when the girl shook it. "But only if you catch me!"

"Thief! How dare you not abide by the King's laws!"

Mae only stayed long enough to see the reactions on the guards' fuming faces. She laughed and spun around, auburn hair whipping wildly in the wind. Leaping from one roof to another, she landed with light _thumps_, as she had done a thousand times before. A professional thief always had to look flashy and cool, right? "Fat, slow, and sluggish!" she taunted, "Is that why they posted you here in Dusk City?"

"Return those two bags!" one shrieked furiously. "The King won't be pleased!"

They were following on foot, considerably slower because of their heavy mail and long spears. Mae, on the other hand, had a clear view of where they were, and could dodge any flying spears, should they decide to throw one. Spears weren't javelins though. "We'll reduce your sentence!" a guard yelled generously.

Ignoring that, Mae leapt down another building, and knelt behind a tall, crumbling wall. "Sorry, Talis," the auburn-haired girl whispered to the second bag. It wriggled slightly, and a muffled mewl was heard. "You'll be out soon, sweetling."

Tucking the bag full of coins inside her cloak, and clutching tightly onto the second one, she took a sharp turn into a dark, musty alley. She knew that the guards were close behind; their shouts and curses helped her pinpoint their location. She grinned.

"Where did that sneak go?" she heard one say aloud, soon followed by an atrocious string of cuss words. "I'll be sure to tell Frances to clean these alleys up… are those Rattatas?"

"We could always take one of those peasant girls, and say she was the thief…"

Mae ran into another, smaller, and darker alleyway that stank even more and had three times as many Rattatas as the last one did. The brick walls stood tall and high, proud against the ivies and vines that were slowly creeping onto them. The sun barely cast a shadow here, and Mae could hardly see the faint silhouettes of abandoned doors and broken streetlamps from decades ago.

After glancing around to make sure that she hadn't been followed, Mae sighed with relief. The exhilaration had quickly died when the guards lost her. But it was fun to toy with them. The guards in Dusk City had always been soft. _Too_ soft. Dusk City would never be worthy of the King's eyes.

"_Vul!"_

The 'object' inside the second bad squirmed, letting out cries of protest. Mae sighed, and settled it on the ground. "I didn't know how else to sneak you through the crowd," she explained apologetically. "The guards would have taken you away."

The reddish-brown six-tailed Pokémon shook her pelt, and glared at Mae in defiance, her brown eyes alive with defiance. _"Vulpix!"_

Mae laughed. "Alright then." She stood up, and grabbed an unlit torch from one of the metal stands. "Light the way, Talis."

The Vulpix bared its teeth at the piece of wood, as if imagining that it was a dangerous foe. "_Pix!_" it shouted, letting out three small streaks of fire from its mouth. Three small embers were enough.

One completely missed, and went skittering off somewhere, dying quickly. The other two sparks caught the wooden torch and set it alight with flames. _"Vuplix!"_ Talis said, the Pokémon's words were filled with pride.

Mae grinned, and scratched her partner behind the ear. "You're amazing, Talis." Her partner purred in response. "I don't know what I'd do without a fire-type partner."

"_Pix."_

"Don't get too overconfident there." Mae rolled her eyes.

With the torch to light their way, Mae had no trouble finding the dull, creaking, rotting, brown piece of wood. All it took was a few steps forward, then to the right. The vines had been cut away neatly here, showing an obvious outline of a door. She pushed it open easily, causing cobwebs and dust to rain down. "It's dark."

Talis shook her pelt, creating a cloud of dust.

"Now… where are the stairs…" Mae mumbled aloud. "Oh, here!" With a squeak of triumph, she began ascending, holding the torch with one hand and gripping onto the bars with the other. Talis followed with ease, hopping up the decaying steps. The old floorboards creaked under their weight, but nevertheless, they withstood.

"Home!" Once the auburn-haired girl was at the top of the short flight of stairs, she ran forward. Sunlight touched her face, and the fire torch seemed to burn less now that it wasn't in the darkness. She threw the torch into a basin of water, having no further need of it. . "Amazing, huh? I'm so glad we found this place."

Talis soon followed, and the two stood side by side, gazing out of the huge, gaping hole in the damaged room into the scenery beyond

When Sprout Tower had its glorious days, the halls were lit with candles, the rooms silent for the musing monks. Passageways were always dark, and a sage would await trainers seeking experience in the shadows, challenging all he deemed worthy. Legendary trainers from all over Johto had all gone to the tower at least once during their rookie days. The tower endured earthquakes, attacks, and stood tall and proud, flaunting the power of the Bellsprout.

But when the King abolished the Pokémon League, Sprout Tower's finally saw its end. The monks deserted it, its halls were left to Rattatas and now, it was just the humble home of a thieving girl and her Pokémon. Dusk City itself was a shadow of its former self. The name Violet City had faded away over time, and people began calling the dusty place _Dusk City._

"Dusk City…" Mae whispered. "Dusk City… Violet City…"

"_Vul."_

The sun was setting in the west, lighting up the sky with a flare of orange and red. All the sprawling buildings below were pathetically small and ugly, compared to the regal sunset. Mae squinted, watching the small citizens below with her sharp eyes. She glanced at the horizon; perhaps she could catch a glimpse of Kanto from here. Mount Silver was in sight, looming in the distance, but she couldn't see any of the towns…

Shrugging, Mae scooped up Talis, ignoring her cries of protest gleefully. She took out the bag of coins she had 'conveniently found', and threw it on a table. "We'll be feasting tomorrow!" she announced. "That's enough to last us for a week!"

Talis couldn't do anything other than squirm, trying to writhe free of her partner's grasp.

"Maybe we should try exploring the world. What'd you say, Talis?" Mae asked. She threw herself onto a nearby wooden chair. _Thank god this thing hasn't broken yet… _"There could be other people like us out there. People breaking the law and having Pokémon companions…"

The Vulpix leapt down from her partner's arms. A brief expression flitted across her face, which Mae could've sworn was scorn. "_Vulpix."_

"We could find someone to make your coat and tail look pretty. Even though that's, like, illegal."

"_Pix!_"

"Oh, the King won't know," Mae told her, amused. "His guards won't know either. Maybe we could run off and live in the forest. There's one near the town next to Dusk City. The town's not as big as Dusk City though. But I can still steal from the guards and rich slugs."

Talis ignored that. She paced along the wooden floorboards, bristling slightly with caution whenever a breeze came whistling in. Mae laughed at that, and Talis spat embers at her. Such was the relationship between two fugitives.

"I wonder if you know any other moves other than Ember…" Mae mused aloud. "The Empire's Pokémon can use Flamethrower and stuff, you know? I saw some of them flying around near Mount Silver the other day."

Talis looked outside at the city, hissing. "_Vulpix!"_

"We'll terrorise them when you get stronger!" Mae promised, grinning. "Those guards won't dare bother us again."

Mae relaxed, leaning back in her chair, slightly careful to not break any of the fragile legs. Talis jumped up and snuggled beside her, her warm fur slightly tickling her partner. _We'll never starve again when you get more powerful,_ she vowed. _We'll never be short of gold and food, and we'll be able to walk through Dusk City without hiding our faces. _For an instant, she was lost in her fantasy, forgetting all about the King's stupid laws and the King's stupid, more powerful Pokémon that would burn Talis to a crisp.

Talis's fur glowed in the fading sunlight as she hummed contently.

Suddenly, the reddish-brown Pokémon stood up, as the last bars of sunlight slid away. She growled threateningly, her fur spiked and tail high.

Puzzled, Mae frowned. "Anything wrong Talis? You—"

"_Vulpix!"_ Talis cried urgently. "_Vul—"_

It all happened so quickly. Somewhere, there was a loud crash, as one side of the tower collapsed. Panicking, Mae turned around, trying to find the cause of it. Dread dawned to her eyes as she looked out of the room's hole, where the sun was drowning and night was rising. "Oh no…"

Three huge shapes flew in the sky, streaking closer to Dusk City. Atop their backs were the dark figures of humans. They flew the King's banner. A red Garchomp against a black background.

The tower shook suddenly, scraping against the pillar that held it up. A roar echoed through the abandoned building, rocking the floor. Rattatas scurried out of their nests, squeaking with fear.

"Talis!" Mae shrieked, grabbing her partner. Her legs shook, and by instinct, she leapt off the side of the tower the way she jumped to flee from guards. A sudden sense of vertigo overwhelmed her as she began to fall. _I jumped_, she thought stupidly.

A third roar caused another part of Sprout Tower to break away.

In that moment, the floor gave away in the very room Mae was in seconds ago. She was slightly glad that her and Talis weren't under all that rubble. But then she realised that she was racing towards the ground headfirst. _We're going to die,_ she thought with panic, pulling Talis closer to her.

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><p><strong>-gasps for air- T-t<strong>

**Anyway, yay! You lasted through that horrible chapter, hehe congratulations. I am hungry for constructive criticism. I honestly hope I did okay. D;**

**Shout out to emosewa-13 for the amazing tips! (even though, like, he'll probably never read this terribad story qq). Check out his stories guys, he's cool. ;D **

**Sooo... I need OC's! The form will be on my profile and at the end of this note. Please **_**PM**_** me your OC submissions, thanks! x **

**I'll also like to hear your thoughts on my first ever chapter, so please consider reviewing! (:**

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><p><strong>Phantom's Crown: Crusade OC Form!<strong>

**Name:**

**Nicknames/Alias: (Titles? Pet names?)**

**Allegiance: (The Resistance/The Crown)**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Personality: (Sentences please)**

**Appearance: (Skin tone, hair colour, hair style, height, build, etc)**

**Clothing:**

**Weapon(s): (optional. Tasers, swords, claws, knuckles, lances, anything! It can be modern weapons, or medieval weapons. Doesn't matter :3)**

**Backstory: (A bit of history. Like… their family, what drove them to join the Resistance/Empire, etc)**

**Romance: (YES/NO. Type of guy/girl they want)**

**Death: (YES/NO.)**

**Extra: (Anything I might've missed)**

**Pokémon: (ONE only. Scroll down to see a list of taken Pokemon)**

**Nickname: (optional)**

**Gender:**

**Pokéball: (What ball are they contained in?)**

**Moves: (List all the moves for all evolutions please!)**

**Personality:**

**Relationship to partner:**

**How they met their partner: (Just a few lines will do. Did they hatch them from an egg? Stumble upon them in the wild?)**

**Extra:**

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><p><strong>A list of <span>taken<span> Pokemon will be on my profile.**

**Remember to ****PM**** your OC!**


	2. Phantom

**Well.. I didn't really expect to get so many OC submissions just after the first chapter. ThaNK YOU EVERYONEE I LOVE YOU ALL. :3**

**I've looked over all the characters that have been sent to me (including that one in the review), and I love them allll.. D; Some of them have been accepted. I still don't have a complete OC list yet, though. **

**BUUT the OCs I received from these users are guaranteed to appear in the story. YAY! **

**SDproductions  
>Legacy918<br>emosewa-13  
>Seth98<br>TreblePlayer67  
>PokeFreak45<br>SentientPixel  
>RicePaddyHero<br>Altomere  
>ZorialWater<br>Vulkodlak  
>666funtimes<br>We're All Okay  
>ShadeZyro<strong>

**SYOC will close next chapter. No one's completely out yet, so don't worry if you don't see your name on that list!**

**I typed most of this yesterday at 11PM-1AM, so please excuse me if the writing gets sloppy midway. D;**

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><p><strong>Phantom's Crown: Crusade<br>Chapter 2  
>Phantom<br>**

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><p>When the sun had set, their attack began.<p>

The resistance group that Gilan was affiliated with, Phantom, had a general rule: _Don't get the civilians involved._

"Draw their attention," his leader, Yoki had commanded. "I don't care how you do it, but keep the civilians out of it, and try to not get captured by guards."

"Sure," Gilan's teammate, Vasily had said casually, without telling the resistance leader _how_ he would accomplish that.

Yoki probably shouldn't have added the 'I don't care how' part, because Gilan and his ally's idea of 'drawing their attention' involved destroying a certain landmark in Dusk City. That was bound to draw the guards, or even the King's attention, right?

Their attack started off smoothly. Get into Dusk City. Get to the tower. Destroy it. Report back. Gilan just hoped whatever god the Bellsprout and monks worshipped wouldn't mind if its legacy was demolished.

He had been circling the tower, wary of the three approaching Empire guards atop their own flying mounts. That is, until he saw the girl plummeting to her death. Of course, it was instinctual to be the gallant knight and stop her fall before she went splat on the ground, so he urged his borrowed Staraptor forward.

That thing was swift. Gilan's caramel-blonde hair flew back wildly and the world seemed to blur around him. The girl was falling fast – but not as fast as the Staraptor he was mounted on. With impeccable accuracy and timing, the bird Pokémon swooped and caught her with its talons.

He silently praised the trainers who groomed the bird Pokémon.

Her reaction wasn't exactly what he wanted. "Talis!" she shrieked. "W-what the hell is this thing—"

Staraptor glared at her with its red eyes in annoyance. "Hello!" Gilan shouted back cheerily.

Well. If destroying Sprout Tower didn't get the citizen's attention, the girl certainly did. He could see half the city gathering below, gaping at the falling building, possibly wondering who in their right mind would pull down a 100-feet tower from the inside. The guards were shouting, people were screaming, children were crying. One guard was standing on a platform, with a megaphone in his hand. "_Everyone, please stay calm. This is a terrorist attack by Pha_—" His words were drowned out by panicked screams as an outer wall broke down.

The girl shut her eyes, letting out a muffled squeal as Staraptor rose higher and higher into the sky.

"_Anything wrong?_" Vasily said, his gruff voice blaring through Gilan's earpiece. "_Was that a scream just then?_"

"I… found someone," Gilan responded, talking into his earpiece. "She's dangling from Staraptor's talons right now."

"Talis will roast you if you don't let me down!" she shouted. Staraptor did a steep dive, and Gilan felt a pang of sympathy for the girl.

They flew by a ruined room. Gilan looked inside, trying to locate his friend. All he saw was debris. It was hard to see now that the sun was gone. But hopefully the darkness meant that the spectators below wouldn't get a clear glimpse of he or Vasily's face.

"_She?"_ Vasily repeated._ "That's no way to treat a girl, Gilan._"

"Are there supposed to be any inhabitants inside that thing, Vasily?" he asked. He could hear the sounds of walls crashing down, floors breaking, and a shout. Simultaneously, a huge chunk of the tower's middle levels were torn down, and Gilan caught a glimpse of a Metang, accompanied by a teenager with black hair inside the falling tower.

"_Yeah, just wild Pokémon,"_ came Vasily's gruff reply. _"Dusk City's alleys are going to be teeming with them after this. I've tried to avoid destroying the areas occupied by Rattatas, but…"_

"How considerate of you," Gilan said merrily.

His ally snorted disdainfully. "_You're so funny._"

"I'm not talking about Pokémon though. I found a girl who fell from the tower." Gilan eyed the girl. "Auburn hair, dirty clothing, with a…" He saw the red-fur and curled tails. "…Vulpix?"

"_A Pokémon?" _Vasily replied, sounding surprised. "_A guard novice?"_

"Well, Dusk City's security isn't exactly the best." The guard on duty at Dusk City's gates this morning didn't even bother to check their belongings. She had ushered them into the dusty city, and even wished them a good day.

Vasily grunted. "_True._"

Gilan diverted his attention back to the three guards, pinpointing their location in the sky with his stormy grey eyes. They were a lot closer now, and he could see that there was a Skarmory in the middle, flanked by two Fearows. The King's banner flew below them, its ends held up by the Fearows' talons. The red Garchomp flapped against the wind.

"Three guards coming your way," he informed Vasily.

"Hey, you!" the auburn-haired girl shouted from below. "Let me down! Are you one of those stupid guards? I swear I didn't steal anything."

For a moment, Gilan was tempted to drop her. Instead, he pointed behind the tower. "Staraptor, there."

The bird Pokémon understood immediately. With a beat of its powerful wings, it glided towards the empty clearing in the middle of the woods. Gilan looked back attentively. There were only two guards approaching the tower now, with the King's banner hanging between them. The Skarmory seemed to be flying back to wherever it came from, its shape was getting smaller and smaller.

"One of the guards went off somewhere. Probably to get backup," Gilan said to Vasily. "Two of them are still flying towards the tower. Watch out."

The crashes and roars stopped. "_Exile, let's go!"_ he heard Vasily say. A moment later, another Staraptor appeared beside the tower, and a lean, black-haired man jumped onto it. Exile, Vasily's Metang followed a moment later, floating in the air. "_I'll meet you at Route 39."_

"Alright, dude."

Staraptor lowered itself into the clearing, swirling up dust and leaves.

"Who are you talking to?" the girl asked suspiciously. "When are you going to let me down?"

Staraptor dropped her down onto the grass. She fell with a yelp, landing gracelessly. "Ow!"

He looked at her matted hair, and then noticed the dirty clothing she had. _Great,_ he thought. _Probably someone unlucky enough to be inside the tower when the attack began._

Gilan dismounted. "Whoops," he said, uncaring. "Not going to thank me?"

The girl didn't reply. Gilan looked at the red fox Pokémon that leapt out of her arms. Its fur bristled threateningly, and it growled at Gilan. He sized it up, noticing the long fur, and guessed that it was female. "_Vul!"_ she snarled.

"A Vulpix," Gilan said, as if it wasn't obvious. "How'd you get her? Don't you know it's illegal to drag Pokémon around?"

That seemed to annoy the girl. She stood up, glaring at Gilan. "Why'd you get _that_ thing to pluck me out of the sky?" She pointed an accusing finger at Staraptor.

Gilan stroked its feathers. "Would you rather be a bloody mess on the ground right now?"

"It hurt!" she complained. "Do you know how sharp those talons are? You don't even look like a guard. Who are you?"

Wow. Where was his 'thank you'?

The Vulpix hissed in agreement. Gilan shrugged. "Isn't that a bit stereotypical? Not all guards have that ugly breastplate and spears, you know?" He held out his hand. "I'm Gilan." He patted Staraptor. "And this is Staraptor, your saviour." The flying-type let out a cry of its own name. "We're not guards."

Either the girl didn't have any manners, or she was super stubborn and wanted to be rude on purpose. She crossed her arms, still glaring at Gilan. "Mae," she said. Mae pointed to the Vulpix, "This is Talis. Don't even think about taking her. I've gotten away from Dusk City guards heaps of times before. You guys are pathetic. "

Gilan sighed and withdrew his hand. "I'm not a guard," he repeated.

Her eyes and expression remained unchanged. "Oh?" she said. "Why are you strutting around with that thing then?" She gestured her head at Staraptor. The bird Pokémon puffed up its chest haughtily.

Ugh, questions. "It's not mine."

Mae looked at him dubiously. He raised his hands defensively. "Someone lent it to me!"

"You're a guard!"

"I am not!"

Talis growled at Gilan. For a moment, he was worried that the fox Pokémon would spit fire at him. Mae scratched her behind the ear. That seemed to soothe the feisty Vulpix. "Was that your friend who was trying to raze Sprout Tower to the ground?"

Gilan laughed nervously. "Uh... well… no one was living in it…"

Mae looked like she wanted to gut him. "Where am I supposed to stay now?" She glowered. Talis's expression wasn't any better either. "That was the most comfortable place to stay in…"

"Don't you have a home?" Instantly, Gilan felt stupid for asking that.

Both Pokémon and human eyed him as if he was a two-headed Miltank. "Have you been living under a rock? The tax is crazy! I'd rather live a life on the streets, instead of giving up everything I work for just to pay _taxes,_" Mae said, sounding exasperated. "I stayed in alleys before I steeled my courage and tried spending a night in Sprout Tower. The local kids thought that thing was haunted, but it's just filled with Rattatas and a few Ghastlys."

Gilan mentally slapped himself. Vasily told him that the last person in the tower moved out more than a decade ago, when the King took down the League. Apparently he was completely wrong. "Thanks a lot, you idiot," he muttered aloud.

Mae looked up at him stubbornly. "At least apologise for taking away the roof we had over our heads."

"_Vulpix!_" Talis said.

_A Pokémon…_Gilan thought. An idea formed in his head. "I could make it up to you..." he blurted, trailing off when he realised he didn't know _how_ he was going to make his plan work. If Mae didn't agree to this, he was screwed.

"What? Are you going to rebuild the tower?" she grumbled. "Good luck with that."

"No..." He subconsciously ran his hand through his caramel-blonde hair. "How do you feel about the King?"

The sudden question made Mae look up at him suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not a guard? I feel like you're going to arrest me if I say anything bad."

Gilan snorted. "Nice joke."

Mae looked at Vulpix thoughtfully. "Well… I've never actually seen the King himself…"

"I doubt the King has seen Dusk City either."

"He…" she started hesitantly. "He's—"

Gilan cut her off. "You're not going to spit out the whole truth, are you?"

Mae scowled. "The only people allowed to carry Pokémon around are guards. For all I know, you could be one of those cretins I stole from earlier. Guards don't like hearing bad things said about their precious king, you know?"

"_Gil! The guards are gone, and I'm on my way to Route 39 right now."_

Whoops. He had completely forgotten about Vasily. He turned around to face the Staraptor.

"Where are you going?" Mae asked, as he swung himself onto Staraptor's back.

"Get on."

"W-what?"

"I'll ask you how you feel about the King," he said, "_after_ you see this."

"I'd rather go back to—"

"Sprout Tower? That's gone."

"What are you going to do then?" Gilan wondered if he really did look like a guard. How long was she going to keep drilling him with questions?

"I'll take you somewhere." That wasn't worded very well. Whoops. "I know a place where you can stay."

She huffed stubbornly. "I stole from the guards, _and_ I have a Pokémon companion." She scratched Talis behind the ears again. "If I came with you, my head would probably be detached from my shoulders by morning. How do I know you're not dragging me back to the King for justice?"

Gilan laughed, as if that was a jest. "The King doesn't know what justice is. Plus, you have nothing to lose."

"I might lose Talis. And possibly my head as well." She rolled her eyes, but complied. "Well… at least I have some leverage against you now. The guards will maul you if they heard that." Reluctantly, she climbed onto the Pokémon's back, seating herself in from of Gilan. She pulled her legs up, so that they didn't brush Staraptor's wings. "This is terribly uncomfortable."

Talis looked down at the ground uncertainly. "_Vulpix."_

"You complain about everything, huh?" Gilan said. But he understood, he had to let his legs dangle off to the side now that Mae and Talis were sharing the mount. It felt strange and unsafe to him to not have them safely on top of Staraptor's back. "Staraptor, let's go."

Staraptor spread its wings, and stretched its back. "_Starr!"_

For a moment, Gilan thought that he was going to slide off after that movement. "Stupid bird. You did that on purpose," he growled.

Mae's fingers whitened as she clung onto its plumage, her other arm hugged Talis closer. "Actually, I'm going to stay on the—"

Whatever Mae was going to say next turned into a muffled yelp when Staraptor took off into the skies, leaving behind a swirl of dust on the ground.

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><p>Mae used to daydream about seeing a magnificent bird Pokémon, or even fly on one if she was lucky enough. She'd try to imagine the feeling of having flying with the wind, the soft breeze tousling her hair, Talis following on ground...<p>

She didn't know what she was thinking when she agreed to come along with Gilan.

_I'm going to kill him,_ Mae thought. _He's _so_ dead._

Maybe she was bored of stealing for a living. Or maybe she just wanted to fly on Staraptor.

She looked around fretfully for any guards pursuing them. Sprout Tower was a mess. The crowd that had gathered around the rubble had dissipated, and only a fear armoured guards lingered, their spear tips glinting under the light of the moon. She could see about ten of them lazing around, and some others standing guard near the front of the tower. They were completely heedless as Staraptor flew across the night sky.

Normally, she wasn't afraid of heights. She had climbed trees, jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and balanced on high, narrow, ledges. But flying on a Pokémon felt completely different. Her feet weren't touching anything firm, and if she fell…

"Vasily, where are you?" she heard Gilan say. "I see some guards coming from Beartree City." He looked in to the left, his stormy grey eyes seemingly following something. "Probably to check out the damage in Dusk City… Yeah…"

Mae tuned out. She diverted her attention to the ground. The buildings were getting smaller and smaller, as Staraptor slowly gained altitude. She imagined the distance between her feet and the ground and shuddered. "If I fall, I'm dragging you with me to hell," she muttered irritably, conjuring an image of Gilan flailing in the air to appease herself.

Talis looked up at her, puzzled. "_Vul?_"

"It's okay, Talis." Mae smiled, and stroke Talis's fur for comfort. At least Gilan wasn't flying towards Mount Silver, where the King resided. In fact, he was flying in the opposite direction, leaving behind the huge, grey mountain.

Staraptor's crest moved slightly as it flew. Mae kept her eyes on it, trying to not look below. The first time Staraptor beat its wings, she panicked. _Jumping off buildings is so much easier,_ she thought glumly.

"It's easier to fly solo," Gilan said.

"I could push you off just for my personal comfort," Mae told him.

"Staraptor will obliterate you if you do that."

"_Star_," the grey bird chirped.

Mae shot a warning glare at it. _Don't you dare even think about it, you overgrown chicken. _"You said it wasn't your Pokémon..."

"It belongs to someone else. It'll still tear you to pieces if you send me plummeting to the ground, though."

She just snorted, and said nothing else.

After what seemed like hours of flying, Gilan pointed ahead at the horizon. "That's Ecruteak City," he said.

Mae couldn't see much in the dark, but she made out the outline of tall buildings and a shape that resembled Sprout Tower. "Are you telling me to live in that tower?" she asked, unimpressed. "I hope you don't destroy this one too."

She looked around, and saw Gilan looking at her, vexed. "I wish I could dump you here, but no. It's one of the cities the King left untouched during his conquest. The tower here is dedicated to Ho-oh, a Pokémon that used to fly around the world and stuff."

A picture of Staraptor flying around the globe entered Mae's head. "Is that it?" The tower was closer now, and Mae could see that the King had left it in a much better state than Sprout Tower. "It's pretty, I guess."

"Just a little longer till we meet up with Vasily."

They flew over Ecruteak City. Despite her earlier thoughts, curiosity compelled her to look down. Lights dotted the streets, and people crowded the walkways. Some buildings had big, fancy, flashing signs on them. There were a couple of guards too, but they seemed as lax as Dusk City guards. "What are those lights?" she said, looking at a tall pole with what looked like a glass lantern hanging from it. It reminded her of something, but she didn't remember what.

"Streetlights," Gilan replied. "Don't they have that in Dusk City?"

"Yeah, but they don't light up at night like that."

They flew over the city, with no one noticing the bird Pokémon in the sky. _Don't people ever look up? _Mae thought. _Or maybe they think we're guards. _

The flight went on for a few more minutes, before Gilan directed Staraptor to another clearing in the woods. They landed, and Mae soon saw that a tall, lean and slightly tanned teenager was standing there. His charcoal grey eyes met her own lilac eyes and lingered, before he looked away. "That's the girl that jumped out of the tower?"

Gilan nodded. "Yeah, pretty stupid." His friend nodded in agreement.

"Hey!" Mae fumed. She slid off Staraptor's back, letting Talis down onto the grass.

"My name's Vasily," he said. The scar on the bridge of his nose twitched. Vasily looked at her expectantly.

"I'm Mae," she grumbled.

Gilan held out a white and red sphere, and pointed the white button in front at Staraptor. "Thanks," he said. The bird Pokémon let out a final squawk, before a red beam shot out and enveloped it, bringing it back into the device.

Mae looked at the whole process curiously. Sometimes, guards from neighbouring cities or towns would visit Dusk City and bring their Pokémon. She had seen the strange red and white device before, but never up close. "So why am I here? Are there guards in the bushes, ready to jump out and ambush me?"

Vasily nodded absently, not quite catching what Mae had said. His eyes were glued on her partner. He bent down to take a closer look at Talis. "You have a Pokémon," he said.

Mae rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

Talis growled, and then puffed up her chest. "_Pix,_" she said with dignity.

"So why do you have her here with you?" Vasily asked, directing his question at Gilan.

"Maybe she could… you know… thingy." Gilan made some hand gestures, and Vasily seemed to understand immediately.

"Yoki won't be impressed," he told Gilan.

"We blew up her home. I didn't know what else to do." Gilan sighed.

Vasily stood up, and began to walk out of the clearing. Gilan followed, and Mae assumed that she was supposed to come too. She looked around warily, trying to find a glint of armour in the bushes, or a spear tip poking out of the leaves. Vasily seemed to find that amusing. He chuckled.

"Keep Talis out of sight," Gilan told her.

Mae looked down at Talis blankly. "How?"

Vasily answered that. He took off his grey hoodie, revealing a sleeveless grey shirt underneath. "Cover her with this." He tossed the hoodie to her, and she caught it, trying to imagine how she'd be able to smuggle in a Pokémon with a hoodie.

Gilan tossed her his own navy blue hoodie. "It's your laundry."

"Laundry…" Mae repeated, feeling stupid. "Sorry, Talis."

Her partner didn't complain as Mae shoved her into the grey hoodie, and then threw the navy blue one over the top. "If only I had a basket," she muttered. "I feel ridiculous." She remembered the way she had smuggled Talis along with her this morning... in a sack.

The 'laundry' shook, and a muffled sound escaped from it.

"A Pidgey stole the hoodies, and you went out with your brother and his friend this afternoon to retrieve it," Vasily told her. "We found it hanging on a tree. That's your story."

"My life sounds _so_ exciting," Mae muttered.

Satisfied, Vasily resumed his stride. The night seemed eerily creepy, somehow. They walked for about an hour or so, and Mae looked at everything in her surroundings. They passed a farm, and she could see the lights switched on through the windows. Occasionally, Vasily would say something to Gilan, or vice versa. Other than that, they encountered no one.

"Today was a good day," she heard Vasily say to Gilan, grinning. "The mission wasn't too hard."

_Today was _so_ not a good day, _she thought. Her arms were getting sore from holding Talis for so long. _Mission?_ She wondered what kind of 'missions' Gilan and Vasily were assigned, if one of them involved destroying a 100-feet tall tower.

As they were walking, she began to notice a strange, briny, salty smell in the air. It was different from the smell in Dusk City. She saw Talis's nose pop out from under the hoodie, wrinkling.

"There it is," Vasily said, stopping in his tracks. He pointed towards something up ahead.

Gilan nodded. "I see the gates. Who's the guard on duty?"

Mae could see the gates too. A white arch came into view, with the words _Kingsport_ on it. The buildings beyond resembled the ones she and Gilan had flown over in Ecruteak City. They were huge brick buildings, nothing like the wooden houses in Dusk City.

"A friend of mine is on duty today." Vasily gestured to the gate with his head. "Kingsport. But the city's old name is still used. Have you heard of Olivine City?"

Mae shook her head. All she knew was Dusk City and Mount Silver. She never got her hands on geography books either, and wasn't keen to. Geography was boring.

They walked to the gate. It wasn't barred, but a guard was sitting on a chair, looking bored. He had the same breastplate and spear that Dusk City guards had, so Mae assumed he wasn't highly ranked. When he caught sight of them, a smile broke over his face. "Vasily!" he said, grinning.

"Stay here," Vasily told Gilan and Mae. He walked over to guard, laughing. "Hey, Anson!"

The guard, Anson, gave Vasily a handshake. "Wanting to get into the city?"

Vasily nodded. "Why else would I be here?" He took out a card, and handed it to Anson, who looked over it before handing it back.

"And who are those two?" Anson waved to Gilan and Mae. Gilan waved back, and Mae tried to smile. Doing that felt strange, since all she'd done in the past few hours was scowl at Vasily and Gilan.

"My distant cousin, and his sister," Vasily told him. "Some Pidgey caught their laundry and went flying off. I got worried, so I went off to help them find it."

"He sucks at lying…" Gilan whispered. Mae nodded in agreement.

Anson ate every word Vasily said. "Alright, go right in then!" he said cheerily, waving towards the city. "Good night!" He didn't take a second glance at the lump of 'clothing' Mae had.

The three of them sauntered past the gate. The streets were lit up by the streetlights, and people were walking around. She saw children running around with their parents chasing after them, she glimpsed bars with men getting drunk, and saw guards walking around, but no Pokémon. _So why do these two have Pokemon? _

"It's in the harbour," Gilan said to her. "After we get there, Talis can get out."

_What's 'it's'? _"Can't we walk faster?" she complained.

Vasily led them past towering, modern buildings. Mae saw more people, and more flashing signs on buildings.

The salty smell got stronger as they continued walking. Apparently, Talis smelled it too. She wiggled uncomfortably underneath the two hoodies.

"Just a little longer," Mae whispered soothingly.

Gilan heard what she said, and looked at her strangely. "Why don't you talk to us like that?"

Mae shot him a glare. "Maybe because you destroyed the tower I was staying in. You guys almost killed me!"

"Hey, we saved you though!" Gilan said with exasperation. "We're even now."

"I liked Sprout Tower!"

Vasily turned to her. "Alright, we're going into a restaurant now. Be on your best behaviour, Mae."

She wasn't sure if it was fitting to walk into a dining place with matted hair and dirtied clothes was considered good etiquette. Who the hell brings their laundry with them to eat anyway?

She eventually realised what the salty smell was. When they passed all the huge, towering buildings, the dark water finally came into view. Waves crashed on the rocks, and she even glimpsed a red crab-like creature, but it quickly scurried away when she tried to edge closer. The water crept over the sand, before retreating, leaving only a dark, wet imprint.

"Have you seen the ocean before?" Vasily asked. She shook her head.

They walked onto a pier, where a white ship was docked. Mae stared at it, wishing she could let Talis out to see it too. She had only seen ships and boats in the books she'd stolen from people. The size of this one left her mouth hanging open. The seaworthy vessel was white, and looked like a normal steamship, the only difference being the name on the side.

"The S.S. Chance," Gilan said. "She used to travel the world before the King's conquest. Now she's stuck here."

"The coolest place to eat out at in Kingsport though," Vasily told her. "She's open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."

They waited while Mae stood still with the her 'laundry' in her arms, staring at the huge letters painted onto the side. _S.S. Chance._

They walked to the entrance of the 'restaurant', where a porcelain-skinned girl with a pixie-cut black hair was standing. She was dressed like a waitress, and stood to the side of the wide door. She nodded at Vasily, her dark eyes dark brown eyes looked at Mae. "Enjoy your time here," she said.

Vasily nodded back. "We're booked."

"Oh? Go straight in and take the stairs on the left, then."

Gilan grinned as he passed by. "Tia Harmon," he acknowledged.

Tia smiled back politely. "Gilan Callaghan," she replied.

Mae followed them into the _S.S. Chance, _fully aware of Tia's gaze on her back.

Oh. God.

The place was nothing like Sprout Tower, or anything Mae had seen in Dusk City. The red carpet was tidy and clean, not a single speck of dust was on the ground. That changed when Mae stepped in though. _Framed_ portraits hung from the white walls. Back in Dusk City, she had to use tree sap to stick the photos she had stolen onto a cracked panel. A chandelier was suspended in the air by a chain. She gawked at it. The only time she had seen a chandelier was when she peered into a mansion near the Dusk City's centre. And even that wasn't as impressive as the _S.S. Chance._

The people here were dressed as elegantly. Obviously they didn't want to let the furniture outdo them. The women had long, flowing dresses, their hair done in curls, or buns, or spirals, or just left untied. The male diners had fancy suits and vests, their hair gelled or combed neatly. But the dining room to Mae's right was only half-full. She wondered what it'd be like in the daylight hours.

Gilan and Vasily walked up the flight of stairs on the left, just as Tia told them to. Mae hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?" Vasily asked. "It's just up this way."

"Nothing. It's just… this place is…" She left her words unsaid, and hurried up the steps to catch up to them.

The room above had three doors on each wall. The 'door' in the middle of the wall facing the stairs had nothing to bar it. Mae guessed that it led to another room similar to this one. Vasily walked to the first door on the left wall, and knocked.

"The door's unlocked," a masculine voice said. Vasily ran a finger through his black hair, and muttered what seemed to be a prayer, before twisting the handle and walking in.

Gilan stood to the side, and waited until Mae walked in first. She looked at him, skeptical.

"When are you going to stop looking at me like that?" he asked, sighing.

She turned away, shivering slightly. There seemed to be something odd about the room.

She found out when she looked closer. It was _snowing_ in there. Flakes drifted down, a thin coat had already taken over the floor. It was cold and sharp, despite the soft and powdery look it had. Mae yelped in surprise, and dropped the hoodie Talis was in. "W-what is this…" She looked around the room. It wasn't as elegant as the ship's lobby, and had no windows. There were pictures on the walls, most of them were pictures of people she didn't know. After a moment spent hesitating, she slowly walked in, eyeing the winter scenery.

Her partner scrambled out, and flinched at the unexpected surprise. "_Vulpix?"_

A Pokémon with a spherical head and cloud-like body floated up to Mae, its black, beady eyes sparking with mischief. "_Cast!_"

Mae stepped in nervously, her feet sinking into the snow. She looked up at the ceiling, and saw small, miniature clouds. "Is that—"

"That's Rebel," Gilan said, pointing to the spherical Pokémon. "She's a Castform. Her trainer's right there."

It was only then that Mae noticed the man standing next to Vasily, looking annoyed. Whether it was the Pokémon that displeased him or Vasily, Mae had no idea. He suddenly looked up at her with his light green eyes, and grinned warmly. "You must be Mae. The girl who jumped out of the tower?"

_Jumped out of Sprout Tower? _Mae shot an accusing look at Vasily. "Yeah… I am."

He rubbed his hand through his unkempt blonde hair. "They said you had a Pokémon… Is it that Vulpix?" he said, looking at Talis. Mae didn't say anything.

"She thinks we're guards," Gilan explained.

The man laughed. "My name is Yoki," he said. "But some people call me The Revolutionary."

"The Revolutionary?" Mae echoed.

"How do you feel about the King?" he asked. Oh, great. The exact question Gilan asked her earlier.

"The King?" She paused, and thought. "Well… he's… our king."

Yoki wasn't satisfied with that. "Is he a good king?"

"He… didn't care about Dusk City at all," Mae answered. "What's with this interrogation?"

Yoki sighed, and walked to the desk in the middle of the room. It was scattered with papers, some of them wet because of the snow. Rebel circled her partner's head, smiling happily. It took a few seconds for Yoki to get what he wanted. He handed a black and white newspaper article to Mae. "Read it."

She did.

_OUTLAWS, TERRORISTS, REBELS, RESISTANCE ORGANISATION_

_PHANTOM_

_REWARD:  
>A manse in the capital, 500,000 PokeDollars for the leader<br>100,000 PokeDollars for information leading to the leader's capture_

"Phantom?" Mae had heard of resistance groups before. A small one had formed in the woods behind Sprout Tower during the King's ninth year of ruling, but was obliterated when the guards discovered them. The ones she'd heard of were mostly small outlaw groups, defying the law and mugging anyone who wasn't their friend. But the reward on the poster seemed like a hefty price to pay for catching outlaws.

"We're a resistance group," Yoki explained. "Anyone with a grudge against the Crown comes to us. Orphans, thieves, murderers, criminals... Phantom take them all in. Everyone here has a common cause. The King knew how to conquer, but he didn't know how to rule. The guards are corrupted, cities are falling apart, and the gap between the rich and the poor is getting bigger."

Vasily nodded at every word Yoki said. "You have a Pokémon."

Yoki shot him a glare that said 'shut up'. "You and Vulpix could help us."

Mae looked down at Talis. "Was the girl at the entrance part of this resistance group?"

"Tia? She is."

"What about these two idiots?"

"Hey!" Vasily whined.

Yoki nodded. "They are."

Mae looked at all three of them. "What are you trying to ask me?" That seemed like a stupid question.

"Join us," Gilan said bluntly.

_A resistance group…_ Mae reread the wanted poster again. "I'll…" She hesitated. She looked down at Talis, wishing she could read her partner's thoughts. Talis seemed to know what she wanted to ask.

"_Vul,_" she said, her brown eyes unblinking.

"The more of us, the better. We have another base in Kanto, and one somewhere in Sinnoh." Yoki held out his hand, and watched the snowflakes melt. "What did you do before Gilan and Vasily came?"

"I… stole from people."

Either Yoki didn't hear, or he just simply didn't care. He opened a drawer on his desk, and took out a red and white poké ball, and handed it to Mae.

Mae stared at it, unsure of what to do. "That's a—"

"A poké ball."

Mae held it up, slightly annoyed at Yoki for interrupting her. "I knew."

The sphere felt cold and metallic in her hands. She could see her reflection on the ball, staring back at her, urging her to answer. Talis's fur brushed against her leg, and she remembered the fantasies she had of her Vulpix beating the guards' Pokémon to a pulp. Years of hiding, running, evading guards came back to her.

"So?" It was Gilan who spoke this time.

Mae laughed, and tossed the ball into the air, before catching it with her other hand. "Bribing me with an outlawed device, huh? What should we do, Talis?" she asked.

"_Pix!_"

Talis's enthusiasm strengthened her resolve. She remembered the dark, dusty alleys of Dusk City, and how she had to avoid the guards every time she entered the market. She wouldn't have to do any of that anymore. _A new lifestyle?_ Determination surged through her. "Alright. We accept!"

Light green eyes blinked. "That didn't take much persuasion." A smile flitted across Yoki's face. "Welcome to Phantom."

Mae smiled. Phantom _did_ have a cool ring to it.

And in that moment, she was glad that she didn't push Gilan off the Staraptor.

* * *

><p>A small, black and yellow Pokémon hopped over the fallen pillar, his red eyes eagerly taking in the scenery. His mischievous smile remained unchanged as he looked at the ruined wreck of what was once Sprout Tower.<p>

"Did you find anyone, Art?"

Arthur the Mawile turned around, the jaw at the back of its head brushed the ground. "_Mawile."_

Morgan sighed in relief, his eyes closing for a moment. The two Dusk City guards behind him stood still, their back straight, eyes glued on Art in wonder. The Mawile sneered at them in return. "Did you see who the culprit was?" Morgan asked, looking expectantly at the guard closest to him.

The guard stiffened. "A boy…" he said. "A black-haired one, who fled after I left to call for help."

"Details," Morgan urged.

"He had a Metang," the guard next to him offered. "He fled on a Staraptor when we got close. There was also another one who flew off before we could see who he was."

Morgan frowned. "I'll forward this to King." He looked around at the city. The houses were small, the roads were cracked, and there was hardly a single person outside. He wondered if his presence was part of the reason. He had been to places in both Kanto and Johto, and learnt that not everyone trusted officials. "Rebuild the tower," he ordered.

The first guard looked at him as if he was Art. "B-but," he stammered, "the cost! Dusk City can hardly afford to hire guards."

Personally, Morgan would have gladly shipped the guards off for more funds on improving the peoples' lifestyle. He'd seen how they bullied the locals. He couldn't think of a word to describe the guards here, other than _lousy_. "Add that to the Crown's debt." _I'll take care of that later._

"The King—"

"I'm a representative of the King. I speak with the King's voice," Morgan told them, unsmiling. "Rebuild the tower, and move the citizens from the outskirts into it." He had seen the outskirts. The guards hung around there when they were off duty, creating raucous noise and practicing their skills with the spear. The residents there were the furthest away from the market, and they didn't have the peace the more lucky citizens near the centre had. The houses there were hardly different from Sprout Tower yesterday, before it got knocked down. "Rebuild the houses, fix the roads and streetlights, and build a proper gate for this city. Consider this a gift from the Crown."

Art looked at the two guards sternly. "_Maw._"

"Y-yes sir."

Morgan ran his hand through his slightly messy yellow-gold hair as he watched the guards hurry away to begin the preparations. He sighed tiredly. Never had he seen a city like this in Kanto.

"A black-haired boy with a Metang, huh," he mused aloud. He unfolded the paper he held in his hands, and looked over the faces again. A seventeen-year-old girl with black hair that faded into red, a man with blonde hair and light green eyes, a cyan-haired man, and a teenager with jet-black hair. Morgan's eyes lingered on the black-haired teenager. _Are you responsible?_ he thought, staring at the picture. The violet eyes in the picture stared back at him, the teenager's face frozen with a smirk.

"_Mawile_," Art said, tugging at his trousers. He pointed a black finger behind Morgan.

"Morgan!"

One of the guards was running back, with an envelope in his hands. "A-a l-letter," he paused to gasp for air, "from the King."

"The King?" Morgan repeated, surprised. He took the white envelope, and indeed, it did have the King's seal on it. Ripping it open from the side, Morgan took out the white paper, his brown eyes widening in surprise.

_Morgan Cadence Lockwood,_

_You have been relocated to Ecruteak City. A Pidgeot will arrive in Dusk City to take you to your designated location. We expect to see you by the morrow._

_Signed,_

_Fraternity_

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, I was supposed to post this earlier but then I got dragged into a Skype call and completely forgot about it. Q_Q AND THENNN my piano started being creepy and creaked all day, so we called in a piano tuner. AND AFTER THAT my school called, asking me about fees or something. My wallet is dead.<strong>

**So... I found it a lot harder to type the story in Gilan's POV than Mae's. ;A;; MUST. KEEP. WRITING.**

**If any of you didn't like the way I portrayed your OC, PM me and I'll fix it up! (:**

**Once again, thanks guys for sending in your characters. :D x**

**Tell me if you think the story's going too fast, or if the dialogue seems strange.. etc..**

* * *

><p><em><strong>OCs so far:<strong>_

**Phantom**

**_The Revolutionary:_ **Yoki Kohzo and Rebel (Castform) - _Condor-K_

**_The Silent Singer:_ **Gilan Callaghan and ? -_ emosewa13_

**_The Butcher of Blank City:_ **Vasily Volkov and Exile (Metang) - _Seth98_

Tia Harmon and ? - _We're All Okay_

Mae and Talis (Vulpix)

**The Crown**

Morgan Cadence Lockwood and Arthur (Mawile) - _SDproductions_


	3. Fire, Blood, Tears

**HI AGAIN. **

**OHMg FFN was down for so long. T_T**

**I PUT A BUNCH OF THINGS THAT I WANTED TO TELL YOU GUYS AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, SO YEAHHH, BE SURE TO READ IT!11**

**ALSO, I'LL BE STARTING A NEW SYOC STORY (SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM FOR INFO! !#!1)**

**Anyway, let's get started. :3 **

**I went through all the OCs I've accepted so far yesterday, and I realised I had a bunch of female characters, and less males. The ratio (WHICH WAS LIKE 15:7 OR SOMEHTING) really irked me for some reason (OCD.. PLeaSE), so I'll be keeping SYOC open for a LITTLE longer. **

**Here are the authors I've accepted OCs from so far. If I've replied to you, telling you your OC has been accepted blablablah and you don't see your name on here (I have goldfish memory), resend your OC and I'll add you to the list! **

**SDproductions  
>Legacy918<br>emosewa-13  
>Seth98<br>TreblePlayer67  
>PokeFreak45<br>SentientPixel  
>RicePaddyHero<br>Altomere  
>ZorialWater<br>Vulkodlak  
>666funtimes<br>We're All Okay  
>ShadeZyro<br>PokeThatPokemon  
>Heart of the Anime<br>WereDragon EX  
>The Misfit Shipper<br>RedArrowCrasher  
>JJun<br>reven228  
>Encendrel<br>xXBrokenThoughtsXx  
>Isetba<br>aleking74**

**THAT'S EVERYONE (I think). Could you all resend your OCs in a separate PM (two PMs, if you sent in more than one), and label it '_PCC submission: -OCs name-'. _Thanks!**

**Once again, SYOC is still open! *coughpreferablymalecharactersplease* Also, please no more characters with rich backgrounds. Q_Q **

**Reply to Just Another Kid: Sadly, I'm not accepting OCs sent via review. ): If you had an account, I would have have gladly considered them, but I'm only accepting the submissions sitting in my inbox. D: i'M SORRYYY. : **

* * *

><p><strong>Phantom's Crown: Crusade<strong>

**Chapter 3**

**Fire, Blood, Tears**

* * *

><p><em>Fire and blood…<em>

The sound of a whip cracking across his back…

His home was burning, the guards were jeering, and the people he had once considered his friends were now laughing.

Laughing and smiling in cruel mockery, as tears streamed down his face.

_Tears._

_Fire, blood, and tears._

Then the picture melted away, as the citizens were replaced by armed guards, and the houses turned to identical, grey buildings with barred windows. A man taller and older than him, with the same black hair and grey eyes, stood straight, with a smaller woman next to him. Both of them had their hands cuffed behind their backs, and they were flanked by guards.

"Son," his father nodded at him sternly. "We'll see you soon."

The woman did the same. "We won't be gone for long," she promised.

They smiled at him sadly, as they were led into one of the buildings. His eyes widened.

_Where are you going?_ he wanted to ask, _You've done nothing wrong. If you go in there, you'll never come back out._

But the words wouldn't leave his mouth.

The scene changed again. His parents turned to ashes, and the sunset sky turned into a light blue. This time, he was standing alone in the middle of a desolated park. The trees seemed much taller now, and everything seemed much bigger.

_Oh, _he realized. He was a child again.

He felt a sudden stab of pain, as his head was thrown to the side. He fell to the ground, coughing up blood.

The circle of thirteen-year-olds seemed to materialize out of nowhere. They surrounded him, pointed their fingers at him, and sneered at him. He gritted his teeth and swallowed back the tears, refusing to cry. He was done with crying.

An orange haired boy stepped forward, sniggering.

"Trash," he spat.

His features melded together, swirling into a vortex around his head, before taking on the new face of a man, with dark green eyes.

A face he knew all too well.

"Vasily," the man whispered softly. His eyes blinked once, but when they reopened, the green had disappeared, to be replaced by dark red.

_The colour of blood._

"Why did you do that to them?" the man hissed.

_Fire, blood, and tears._

* * *

><p>Vasily woke up with a cold sweat dripping down his neck, his breathing ragged, and hands shaking. He grabbed the knife on his bedside table, and gripped the hilt tightly, his knuckles whitening. He looked around frantically, lessening his hold when he saw that he was alone.<p>

"Just… a dream," he murmured, his voice raspy. "Nothing's happening."

There was a knock. "Vasily?" came Tia's voice. "Everything alright?"

Vasily stretched out his palms, trying to clear the memory of his nightmare from his head. His cheek throbbed where the boy in his dream had struck him.

"Vasily?" Tia called, a little louder this time.

"Coming!" he called. He walked unsteadily to the door, and straightened his posture, before twisting the door handle open. "Hello Tia," he greeted as calmly as he could.

The black-haired girl was out of her waitress uniform, and was wearing a simple white t-shirt and dark, faded jeans. She looked him over, concerned. He tried his best to match her gaze with a serious stare.

"Yoki's looking for you," she finally said. "He's in his office, doing some paperwork."

Why would Yoki be looking for him? "Alright," he replied, "I'll see him at once."

Tia nodded, and then walked off.

Vasily grabbed the key to his room and shut the door, making sure that it was locked. He turned the doorknob a few times to make sure, before setting off for Yoki's office.

He walked into the leader's workplace, yawning wearily. The grandfather clock sitting against the wall was the only other object in the room besides Yoki's desk. The pendulum was swinging back and forth, with tick-tock sounds accompanying it. Vasily glanced at the three hands. 4:36. _Tick._ 4:37.

"Vasily," Yoki greeted, without looking up from his paper. The leader had his head bent, but when he looked up to meet Vasily with his green eyes, the Butcher of Blank City flinched.

_The man with dark, green eyes._

He told himself that Yoki's eyes were many shades lighter, and relaxed.

"Yes?"

The leader frowned. He twirled the pen in his hand repeatedly. Rebel was asleep next to his arm, snoring softly. "Did you sleep well?"

The dream came back to Vasily. For a moment, alarm flooded through him. The man's deep green eyes…he pushed it out of his mind.

"It was good," he lied, smiling cheerily. "I'm feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever you have for me!"

Yoki nodded in approval. "Good. Nora sent in a report."

The smile faded from Vasily's face. He had doubts about this Nora person. "What of it?"

Yoki looked at the paper worriedly. "There's been some... problems in Kanto."

"...Kanto?" Vasily felt his hands clench subconsciously. _The dream._ "What happened there?"

"Criminals kept in gaols have been disappearing at an increasing rate," Yoki said. "The guards are on duty twenty-four hours a day, and yet they aren't able to stop the crooks from slipping out between their fingers. No one's quite sure what's actually happening."

He received a snort as a response. "Criminals?" Vasily really had no love for criminals, which was a bit hypocritical, considering who he was.

"Hungry thieves, and a few people who got a little... too close to Pokémon," he resumed explaining. "The guards have been growing rather slack lately… even in Kanto. The common outlaws are becoming more daring. A noblewoman and her escort of guards were attacked on the road to the capital just a few days ago. But, as I'll reiterate, no one quite knows exactly how the criminals disappear. It's as if—"

"—as if someone's taking them," Vasily finished. He had seen the King's men teleporting about with Pokémon. As a child, he had begged one to take him along, and received a slap to the face instead. "Someone with a Pokémon. A psychic-type, maybe? Phantom can't be the only organisation with Pokémon."

"Poké balls are hard to come by, and taming wild Pokémon isn't easy," Yoki paused briefly, as he looked at Rebel thoughtfully. "The only groups who possess poké balls are Phantom and—"

"The Crown."

"Bingo."

"Then… Do you think the King is behind this?" That certainly wasn't impossible.

Yoki nodded. "We have to find out if the Crown is behind this, and if they are, why. And guess who's leading this mission?"

Vasily sighed. "All these missions… don't they seem a bit pointless?"

Memories of yesterday's events came rushing back, full-force. He had pushed one of the guards off his Fearow, and watched as the poor man plummeted to his death. The second guard thought valour the better part of discretion, and fled, leaving behind a trail of brown Fearow feathers.

He hadn't quite regretted the errant loss of life, as much as his conscience gnawed.

"I'm not saying I hate missions, but considering all we found from our last one was that Mae girl and her Vulpix," he shrugged, "I just don't see any real merit."

Yoki smiled at that. "The missions have a purpose."

"Just yesterday, you assigned us to cause a distraction—"

"Which went completely overboard." The leader laughed. "I'm sure I told you to keep the civilians out of it. And what happened?"

He rolled his eyes. "We weren't even told why Phantom needed to distract the enemy."

Another thought occurred to him just as fast. "Besides, why don't you contact our faction in Kanto? I'm sure they'd be more than willing to get the job done."

Yoki leaned back in his chair and loured. "I can't seem to get to Tylen right now. I'm assuming he's at the other end of the region, and thus, out of Xatu's communication range, but we can never be sure."

Oh. Lovely. Vasily opened his mouth to speak, but Yoki cut off him off.

"The thing is, however, you're the one who's most suited for this mission."

At first, Vasily wasn't sure if he had heard the leader's words correctly. After a few seconds of silence, as the gears in his head started to turn, he felt the familiar feeling of dread and fear come back.

"W-What?" he said hoarsely.

Yoki smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Where in Kanto…?" A thousand images flitted across Vasily's mind. Images of boys laughing, images of _him_ crying. They were all in black and white… replaying his sorrow.

_The sound of a whip cracking across his back…_

"No! Just no! There's no way in hell I'm going back there!" he roared furiously, his voice shaking. The memory of the dream made his legs tremble, making him lean against the wall for support.

Yoki looked uneasy. "It's been a year—"

"I am not seeing that place. Never again." _Dread and fear…_

"The mission-"

Vasily cut him off. "Get someone else." _Last night's dream…_

At the leader's side, Castform stirred, disturbed by the noise.

_"Castform?"_ she slurred drowsily.

Yoki stroked his Pokémon's head gently, while keeping his gaze on Vasily at the same time.

"This isn't a matter of what you want to do, Vasily," he told his fellow rebel softly. "It's for Phantom. Your efforts will be rewarded a hundred times over, when you see the King be toppled off his throne."

Vasily snorted in disgust. "No."

"Your tormentors are all gone. You told me the day you joined Phantom," Yoki reasoned pleadingly. "There's nothing there in Kanto for you to fear."

_No. Not all of them are gone. _"I…"

_Fire, blood, and tears._

Without saying another word, or even waiting for Yoki's reply, he turned around curtly, and trudged out of the room. He heard Yoki calling after him, but the pleas fell deaf on his ears.

_The green-eyed man…_

"You…" he said aloud to himself. "You… won't ever get me."

When he was back in his own room, he collapsed on the bed, burying his face in a pillow. Instantly, the image of the green-eyed man came back.

_Fire, blood, and tears._

The man in his mind gave a grotesque smile. "_Vasily_," he cooed, his voice soft and alluring. He beckoned for Vasily to come closer.

"You won't ever get me," Vasily vowed. "Never."

_Fire, blood, and tears._

* * *

><p>"...Mae..."<p>

She could hear someone calling out her name in her slumber. But…who?

"Mae… Wake…"

And then she remembered, a split-second before her shoulders started to move.

With a start, Mae got up sleepily, only to cringe at the sight of her bedmate. "Ashley...Is this really necessary…?"

Ashley White was the resident brunette, and an eternal optimist. The Phantom member's big, blue eyes bored into her, giving her the appearance of a cartoon doll.

Not the best of the things to wake up to, that was for sure.

"Of course it was!" Ashley squealed gleefully. "It's morning! Which means…" She dragged out the last word, and looked at Mae expectantly.

"...The tour," she replied flatly, not sharing her new friend's enthusiasm. Her eyes were struggling to stay open, and Talis wasn't faring any better. The fox Pokémon's ears were twitching, and she had an irritated look on her face.

None of it mattered as Ashley beamed back at her. "The tour! Isn't this exciting?"

"What time is..." Mae tried to ask, only to yawn midsentence. "...it?"

"Six in the morning," was the reply. Complete unaware of Mae's dismayed reaction, Ashley continued, "Yoki told me to give you this."

She held out a pile of clothes, before moving forward to set them down.

_Beige shorts, a short-sleeved white blouse, a white jacket, and a pair of black sneakers,_ Mae listed as she went through the pile, as Talis cocked her head, and sniffed the shoes.

"Yoki gave me this?" she looked at what were possibly the cleanest, most expensive pieces of clothing she would ever have the privilege to wear in her entire life. "Well...Tell him thanks from me…I guess..."

Ashley smiled happily. "No problem! We'll see you downstairs in the main dining room." She skipped out of the room, humming a lullaby.

Mae frowned. If they'd have to go downstairs, she'd have to put Talis back into her new poké ball. Yoki had told her that the ship was mostly free of customers in the early hours, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

She pulled out her drawer, taking out the red and white device. The Vulpix hissed in annoyance, before slumping her shoulders resignedly.

"In you go," Mae told her. Talis cringed when the red beam hit her, and then disappeared, drawn by the beam into the confines of the ball.

As she left the room in her new clothes, Mae tugged at her jacket uncomfortably. Her auburn hair had been cut so that it ended just below her shoulder blades, tied in a mid-height ponytail, and her feet and fingernails were no longer caked in dirt, thanks to the combined effort of Tia and Ashley, who, last night, had ganged up on her when they saw how messy and dirty she was. Together, they had picked her up, and dumped her into a bathtub, before running out of the room giggling, refusing to unlock the door until she had tidied herself up.

Mae mentally winced as the memory came back. She shook her head to clear it, and began to make her way downstairs.

The curtains were drawn, and sunlight was streaming in through the huge, glass windows. The red carpet had not a single speck of dust on it. In contrast, the bourgeois from the night prior had left stained tablecloths and half-eaten food behind, the remnants of which Mae saw.

Tia and Ashley were sitting at a table, with a thin, sixteen-year-old boy that she didn't recognize from yesterday. Besides them, there were about twenty people in the room, none of them as glamourous as the diners from yesterday night. Every one of them sat at a table, chatting animatedly to the person beside them, while Vasily was sitting in a corner, looking broodingly at the space in front.

Ashley smiled when she saw Mae, and waved, beckoning her to come over. The brown-haired boy looked behind his shoulders at her, and she could see that half his head was shaved. She walked over, and seated herself beside Ashley.

"Hey, Mae," Tia said, stopping her conversation.

"Mae?" The brown-haired boy looked at her oddly. His hooded jumper and tattered jeans were dark with dirtiness. Now that she was closer, Mae could see that grey wasn't its original colour. She wondered if Tia and Ashley would dump this guy into a bathtub too. "You were the one who jumped out of the tower, huh? My name is Tech."

Mae made a mental note to punch Gilan and Vasily later. "Yeah… I'm Mae."

"I'm... sort-of the mechanic around here," Tech told her, pointing at himself proudly. "Ashley comes to me all the time with all the things she breaks. You can do the same if you have a problem; I'll fix it up, free of charge!" He bit on the last of the sausage on his fork, which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a screwdriver.

"Hey!" Ashley whined. "I don't break things _all_ the time!"

"You _so _do."

"I don't!"

Tia pushed a plate towards Mae. "Here you go. Ashley reserved this for you."

She accepted it gratefully. It was a simple meal of eggs and bacon, but it was better than what she usually had in Dusk City, which, honestly, applied to almost everything. Before she could tuck into the meal, however, she felt a hand grab hers, and dragged her up from her seat.

"Guys!" Ashley shouted, having stood up from her seat and caused Mae to do the same. "This is Mae! Say hello!"

Her voice had filled the whole room, so everyone stopped their conversations to stare at them. Mae's face flushed as she felt the eyes of the others directly on her, before Ashley prodded her, urging her to say something.

"H-Hi," she stammered awkwardly, squirming under Ashley's grip on her arm. She hissed at the brunette, looking at her pleadingly. "Let me _go_."

Ashley was oblivious to her discomfort. "She's our newest member! Gilan and Vasily brought her here after she jumped off a tower in Dusk City!"

_Oh for the love of-_

Disregarding the need to sock Ashley for bringing that up again, and any future plans of getting back at Gilan and Vasily, Mae glanced at the restaurant's entrance worriedly, expecting a guard to strut in the moment Ashley's words left her mouth.

Instead, all she saw was Yoki, who was sitting at a table with about three other people. Returning the look, he nodded encouragingly and gave a thumbs-up. Gilan, who was seated at the same table as the Revolutionary, gave an amused snort. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vasily mutter something, while the other people seated smiled.

Even then, Mae could tell that not all the rebels liked her at first sight.

_They're a resistance group,_ she told herself, _it's natural for them to be wary of people they don't know._

A girl with ivory skin and royal-blue hair, with a white flower crown sitting on top of her head, shot up, knocking over the chair behind her. "I'm Orchid," she said, her hazel eyes sparkling. She pointed to the unsmiling slim girl in the sleeveless, qipao dress beside her. "And this is Crimson!"

"Crimson Kaia," the black-and-red haired girl echoed, giving a curt nod. She moved her food around her plate, staring absently at it.

Orchid continued where Crimson left off. "Crimson's been here for a few years… but I've only been a part of Phantom for two months." She chuckled sheepishly.

The slender, blue-haired girl sat down again, and whispered something excitedly to Crimson. Occasionally, Crimson would say something back. Mostly, she just nodded.

"Crimson's a fugitive from the King's justice," Ashley explained. "You might see a few wanted posters of her outside of Kingsport."

_We're all fugitives_, Mae realised.

A man in his early twenties was next. His brown beard reminded Mae of a guard she had mugged once. "Scott Bishop," he nodded. "But you can call me Skybreaker. Akane and I are here to give the King a taste of real justice. We'll storm his castle, and his head will be our gift to the commonfolk!"

His words were met with cheers and applause. Yoki's eyes were bright and prideful. Even Akane let a small smile flit across her lips.

_Are all Phantom members like this?_ Mae wondered. _And the commonfolk?_

There was a whistle. "Yeah, Scotty!"

"_Skybreaker_!" Scott roared. He raised a glass.

"_Skybreaker_!" someone shouted.

"_Skybreaker_!" "_Skybreaker_!"

Ashley laughed. Tia and Tech joined in with the cry. "_Phantom_!" Other voices joined them, and soon, the whole room was alive with shouts of 'Skybreaker' and 'Phantom'.

In the midst of all of it, Mae stood there uncertainly. It was a wonder that the restaurant hadn't been stormed by guards already. Talis's poké ball shook, and she touched it gently. She moved her gaze across the dining hall, looking at all the rebels shouting with determination and hunger.

_Hunger for the King's death._

"You have my word!" Scott promised, looking proud at what he had stirred. He grinned triumphantly at Mae, as if challenging her to question his ambitions. "For the Pokémon League!"

"_For the Pokémon League!_"

Yoki raised his hands for silence, and the voices died. "We'll cheer all we want after the King is gone," he told Phantom, closing his eyes thoughtfully and smiling faintly. "The King wears a crown of thorns. If the commonfolk rally behind us, the King's ultimate fate will be to die by the hands of Phantom."

There were more cheers. Yoki cleared his throat. "But for now, I think someone else wants the pleasure of meeting Mae." He tilted his head, and looked past Mae and Ashley. Scott took that as a sign to return to his seat.

A lightly tanned girl with straight, dark brown hair was standing there with one hand on her hip. She had a confident air around her, and held her chin up proudly as her hazel eyes met Mae's own light lilac eyes. She was sort of like Scott, in a way. But where Scott was muscular, this girl was petite and athletic.

"My name is Jenell Grace," she introduced, putting one hand on her chest and doing a small bow. "Some people call me the Flame Dancer… and I believe that it's my job to show you around."

"Jenell… Grace," Mae pronounced slowly, trying to memorise her face. "Show me around?" So that's what Yoki meant when he said she'd have a 'tour'.

After Jenell was done, more Phantom members introduced themselves to Mae, but she forgot their names the instant they sat down. Some offered words of welcome, and some told her of what was expected in Phantom. Before long, Mae's plate was licked clean and breakfast was over. One by one, the rebels began to leave the room, to go to their quarters or run an errand in the city.

"Don't get lost!" Ashley said, as she and Tech prepared to leave. "I have a mission, and Tech has his mechanical friends and inventions to tend to. So yeah. Bye Mae!"

_Missions_… "Try not to die," Mae told her.

The brown-haired boy sighed. "I don't want to get scolded by Fritz, so I'll be leaving now. If you need any help, I'm always here." The mechanic held out a poké ball with a blue top and two red sections. "My job is to modify poké balls every time someone goes out on a mission, so you'll definitely see me again."

He and Ashley made their way towards the stairs that led up to the rebel's private rooms. Despite Tech's thin frame, he didn't seem to have any discomfort or trouble with walking. Ashley was clinging to his arm, with a pout on her face. He was trying to shake her off, to no avail.

Mae and Jenell were the last ones to depart. "The ship is big," Jenell said, breaking the silence.

"I didn't know that."

Jenell didn't even bother to tell her off for that comment. "The _S.S. Chance_ used to bring trainers from Johto to Kanto and Sinnoh. She stopped after the King took over. You know, the guards here tried to seize her for the King's favour? Her crew were neutral during the conquest, so the King left them alone when he started his reign."

Ashley had actually told Mae all of this, the night before. "Why doesn't she operate like how she did before?"

"Travelling is too dangerous. The King outlawed keeping Pokémon as pets or companions. Trainers don't exist anymore, so we'd have no way of defending her from the wild Pokémon in between the regions." Jenell scoffed. "The rich aristocrats who take vacations in other regions only board ships protected by guards."

Mae had seen guards beat ignorant children when they tried to feed the Pidgeys in the woods enough times to know that it was prohibited by the law to try to befriend Pokémon. "How do you guys avoid getting caught?"

"Tech does some stuff to our poké balls."

The vague reply didn't help at all. Mae wondered if Tech had a way to try to make Talis comfortable in her poké ball, before shifting the thought to the back of her mind as Jenell began walking, and she followed suit.

Their first stop was the lavatories used by the resistance members. Jenell pointed out the clean mirrors and floor.

"Who's the janitor around here?" Mae asked. "Who keeps the toilets clean and stuff?"

"Yoki reserves that job for punishments."

"...Oh."

They went around the whole ship once, through a maze of corridors. There were cabins occupied by Phantom members, and abandoned rooms that used to house the passengers' Pokémon. They passed four other lavatories, located at even distances from each other. Jenell insisted on stopping at every one of them, and pointing out which ones were for the females since the doors had no visible signs on them. Mae had no idea why, but she nodded to every word when her tour guide instructed her to take the door on the left. They kept up their conversation as they walked.

"We have a faction in Kanto, you know," she said. "A friend of mine runs the base there."

"Oh? A Kanto faction?"

"Maybe you'll get to see it one day." They walked past a window, and Jenell gazed out at the sky, looking at the cloud formations.

There was a deck out front, with tables and empty chairs. The flowers in their vase swayed in the ocean breeze. Below, at the entrance, she saw people queuing up to get into the restaurant. A member she couldn't remember was directing them to their tables.

"Members who don't have missions or aren't training are tasked with serving," Jenell explained as they passed what looked like a storeroom. "I had to do that once when there was a wedding taking place here. A child wandered up into the upper rooms… and I had to drag him back down." She flushed. "He kicked, screamed, and cried."

Mae was staring at the sea, watching the waves appear. The mere sight of it always seemed to amaze her. "Sounds fun," she shrugged noncommittally, not quite catching what Jenell had told her.

"We have one more place to see."

Mae inwardly groaned. "Another lavatory?"

A faint smile touched Jenell's lips. "No."

Jenell led her past identical rooms, before stopping at a large, metal door with a fingerprint lock. She placed her index finger on the lock, and it slid open with a small, faint beep. "Our battlefield," she said, looking into the room.

When Mae stepped past the door, a warm sensation washed over her. Suddenly, she heard noises and shouts that she hadn't heard seconds before.

The room was lit by huge white lights built into the ceiling, spread across the whole room. The ground shook slightly… something else she hadn't noticed before. Below, under the raised platform she was on, was what looked like a battlefield from before the King's Conquest. On one end stood Gilan, who hadn't seemed to have noticed the two new presences. On the other end was a short, pale girl with chestnut brown hair, who looked like she around twelve years of age. Mae recognised her as one of the people who had introduced themselves. What was her name again? Grey? Grape? Gracidea…?

"You can't always rely on the sky, Grace!" Gilan shouted.

Oh. Yeah. Right. Her name was Grace. Just like Jenell's last name.

In the middle of the battlefield was a small bipedal Pokémon, with a round head, that had a silver blade extending from it. Its yellow eyes were glued on what was in the air – a red and orange bird.

"They're Gilan and Grace's Pokémon," Jenell commented, observing the battle. "Pawniard and Fletchinder. Screech and Robin."

The battle seemed to be nearing its conclusion. Both Pokémon were wounded, and Mae could see their chests rising and falling quickly as they gasped in air. The bird seemed to have the advantage here, considering its mobility.

It reminded her of Staraptor, and Mae instinctively shuddered, remembering the flight. Her heart felt like it had been in her throat when Staraptor caught her in its talons, leaving her dangling without having a hold on something solid.

Grace pointed to the Pawniard. "Robin, use Flame Charge!"

The bird, Robin, gave a cry. She streaked down towards her opponent, enveloped in fire and leaving behind a trail of flames.

_Like a comet_, Mae thought. _One day, Talis will be able to use her fire abilities like that._

"Screech, dodge it!" Gilan commanded. The dual steel and dark-type hopped back nimbly, avoiding Robin as she swooped down. After missing her prey, Robin changed her course of flight an instant before she hit the hard floor, and was now gliding parallel to the ground. The fire died, and then she was just a normal Fletchinder again. The knife hands on Screech's arms glinted dangerously under the light.

Grace's childlike green eyes widened with realisation. "Robin, up again! Now!"

"Too late!" Gilan smirked, before barking out, "Metal Claw!"

Robin beat her wings urgently, desperately trying to return to her position in the air, but Screech was faster. He leapt forward, slashing wildly with his blades at the bird, who screeched in pain as a claw struck her grey chest, throwing her down into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dirt.

"Robin!" Grace shouted worriedly.

Gilan crossed his arms in victory. "That would have worked if Screech was slower, but too bad, I guess."

When the dust cleared, Robin was lying on the ground with crumpled wings, chirping miserably. Screech was a meter away, standing with his hands crossed in a pose, looking coolly at his fallen foe.

Grace held out a striped black and red poké ball sullenly. "Back into your luxury ball, Robin," she said. When her partner had successfully returned through the red beam, she tucked the ball away in its minimised state.

"Thanks, Screech," Gilan called. He did the same with a black and green poké ball; a dusk ball, Mae noted.

It was then that Gilan noticed Mae and Jenell. "Hey!" he called, waving. "Jenell! Mae!"

Jenell hopped down from the platform, landing gracefully. Mae did the same, remembering the countless times she had done this when she fled from the guards. It felt slightly different and lighter doing it with the shoes Ashley gave her, but it have her that slight burst of exhilaration all the same.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Gilan asked, gesturing towards Mae.

"Yoki tasked me with the job of showing the new members- er, member, around," Jenell replied. She turned her head to Mae. "The _S.S._ _Chance_ was fitted with a battlefield before the King came. We used it as a storeroom for a few months, but now it's where our members test out their skills."

Grace joined them, standing next to Gilan. She was a few inches shorter than Mae. "Sometimes we go out onto Route 39. But mostly, we just stay here."

She gave a childish grin. "Do you remember me?" she asked excitedly. "I think we met this morning."

Mae nodded, electing not to mention that Grace's name had completely slipped out of her memory until just then. "You and Robin are… good." She hadn't ever tried battling like that with Talis.

Gilan snorted. "You've still got a lot to improve on, though," he told Grace. She stuck her tongue out in defiance. "Your archery is great, but I'm trying to teach you to battle with your Pokemon...Yet all you do is fly circles in the air."

"You had Screech ready to jump up and slash Robin down," the twelve-year-old told him indignantly. "Mae! Gilan is a big, fat bully who picks on little kids." She pouted, and tried to pull a hurt face that reeked of deception, complete with puppy-dog eyes.

"We should throw him into the harbour," Mae suggested. Grace nodded solemnly in agreement.

Gilan put up his hands defensively. "The King wouldn't just sit there and let Robin burn him to a crisp!"

"Go easy on me, I'm _twelve."_

"That's a stupid excuse."

"You two. Be quiet," Jenell snapped bluntly. Gilan and Grace froze, keeping their lips shut.

The Flame Dancer pointed at something high up in the air, close to the wall. Mae squinted. There was a perch, and on it was a green Pokémon with white wings. "That's Sentry, Yoki's Xatu," Jenell said. "She has a barrier up all around this battlefield. The ship won't move or capsize and the guests downstairs won't hear anything that goes on in here."

Sentry the Xatu stood very still. She didn't seem very interested in the four rebels in the room.  
>Jenell pointed to the battlefield. "Why don't you send out your Pokémon?"<p>

"Talis?" Mae asked, slightly taken back. She dug out the poké ball in her pocket. "Are we going to…?"

"We'll see what she can do," Jenell said.

All Talis could really do was shoot a few embers. Mae threw the poké ball into the air, the way she had seen other people do it. Talis appeared in a burst of white light.

"_Vul_," she complained, licking her paw delicately.

Jenell knelt down, and examined the fox Pokémon. Talis cocked her head at her, looking curiously at the eighteen-year-old.

"Another fire-type!" Grace said, excited.

Gilan had already seen Talis. "Oh, that's a fire-type? I never knew," he said dryly. Mae slapped his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"My hand slipped," she told him as casually as possible.

Jenell stood up again. "Command her to use Ember," she said to Mae.

"Huh? Oh." Mae looked at Talis doubtfully. "Use Ember."

Talis huffed in air, and a second later, she spat out three streaks of fire. They were nothing compared to what Robin had done earlier. Jenell jumped back, avoiding the flames. Grace squeaked, enthralled, and Gilan bobbed his head thoughtfully.

Jenell frowned. She took out a white premier ball, and pressed the button. A white light shot out, taking the shape of a large, quadruped Pokémon. "_Arcanine_," he growled. Talis was staring wide-eyed at the huge, striped Pokémon.

Jenell pet his coat. "My lifelong partner," she said, smiling fondly. The Arcanine licked the side of her face. She laughed, before stepping back. "Pyro, demonstrate. Use Flamethrower!"

Pyro shot a glance at the small Vulpix at his feet, and bent his legs slightly, brushing his underbelly on the ground. He bared his jaws, and red flames appeared, licking his pointed teeth. With a mighty roar, a torrent of fire shot out. It was red, hot, and searing. The attack reached the other end of the room, before being extinguished.

Grace cheered. Mae gaped. Talis' gaze was fixed on the burnt, brown, circle that was imprinted on the wall where the Flamethrower attack had touched it. "_V-vul.."_

"That's a Flamethrower?" Mae sputtered. "And I thought Robin's move was impressive…"

"Imagine roasting the King with that," Gilan said. Mae couldn't find herself relishing the thought.

The fire-type turned around, without even looking tired. "Great job, Pyro," Jenell praised. Pyro growled playfully.

Talis was standing again, determined. This time, she was imitating the Arcanine's stance. Mae watched as she bared her teeth the same way Pyro had done. She opened her jaws, letting out a cry. A small burst of fire appeared, burning for a few seconds before dying.

The dispirited look on Vulpix made Mae ache inside. "You'll get it one day, Talis," Mae told her partner. "We can beat up Pyro after you get stronger!" She remembered making a similar promise the day Sprout Tower fell.

The fox Pokémon straightened, and looked at Mae stubbornly. "_Vul."_

Mae rolled her eyes. "As if you don't care."

"We need to work on that," Jenell said encouragingly. "Spend a few hours each day using the same move over and over again. Grace and I will help you out."

"What about Gilan?" Grace asked.

Mae stroked Talis' fur. "He can bring us food and stuff?"

Gilan seemed disinterested. "Quit dreaming."

* * *

><p>Vasily was strolling outside on the ship's deck, basking in the cool breeze. No one had decided to eat out on the deck yet, so he was alone. The smell of the sea was ever present here, and he liked it that way.<p>

He could see a part of the city from there. He saw Anson on duty, cheerily flirting with a passing woman. He saw children running around with kites, and their parents telling them to not get lost. The waves crept up onto the sands, and pulled back out to sea. People were running barefoot across the shallow water, laughing and splashing. He wondered how they could keep up such a façade.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Vasily."

Seeing that it was Yoki, Vasily's mood immediately turned sour.

"What?" he grumbled.

"I hope you've thought about what I've said."

"I'm never going back to that place."

"But what about the innocent civilians that could die from this?"

Silence.

It was Yoki who had the next word. "Tia has offered to come along with you."

That took him by surprise. "Tia?"

"It'll be her second mission, I think. Having a fellow rebel with you will make this a lot easier." Yoki leaned onto the rail, and gazed out into the ocean. "Sentry will teleport you to Kanto, and you and Tia can take it from there. Once you find out the cause… obliterate it and report back."

Vasily snorted. He didn't feel as angry as he had been this morning, for some strange reason. "Obliterating things is what I'm made for," he muttered.

The Revolutionary was wise to not laugh at that. "I think... having a partner will help you. A lot."

"I have Exile," Vasily insisted, thinking of his Metang.

"Don't you want to put your past behind?" Yoki asked, his eyes on the horizon.

Vasily didn't reply for a few moments. The thought of leaving behind his childhood... his parents...

"Do I keep the civilians out of this?"

Maybe… maybe he could conquer what he feared.

_What I fear…_

Yoki smiled, pleased. "Yes."

_Don't back out now._

"Where are we going for this mission?" he asked, even as he knew the answer.

_Dread and fear._

"Blank City."

_Fire, blood, and tears._

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, was that paced too quickly? I SWEAR THE ACTION STARTS NEXT CHAPTER (OR MAYBE THE ONE AFTER THAT).<strong>

**OKAY. YEAH. FIRSTT. Big thank you to all those people who submitted/reviewed. You guys dah best. Shout-outs to SDproductions, emosewa-13, WereDragon EX, Heart of the Anime, and The Misfit Shipper! CHECK OUT THEIR PROFILES/STORIES, they're super cool people. **

**Nexttt. School has started for me. ;A; I have tutor on 4/7 days of the week. And this year, I'm ****eligible to take the state selective tests this year, which means... **

**- More studying  
>- More homework<br>- More stress**

**YAY SO EXCITING (notreally). **

**BUTBUT WAIT. I'm starting a new SYOC story (I'll try to update both my stories at least once every 1-2 weeks)! It's called _Timeless Symphony: Starlight of Shadows_, and it'll be set in medieval Johto-Kanto AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO GET STARTED ON IT. The summary is on my profile, so go check it out. For those people whose OCs didn't manage to get into this story, go take a shot at it! **

**The prologue will be up by Valentines (or before). I have an OC form ready, so if you want it, PM me. :3 If there's a specific element you want to reserve, mention it in the review or message me! I'll be accepting 3-4 of each type. **

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><p><span><strong>Phantom<strong>

**_The Revolutionary:_ **Yoki Kohzo and Rebel (Castform) - _Condor-K_

**_Silent Singer:_ **Gilan Callaghan and Screech (Pawniard) -_ emosewa13_

**_Butcher of Blank City:_ **Vasily Volkov and Exile (Metang) - _Seth98_

**_Flame Dancer: _**Jenell Grace and Pyro (Arcanine) - _Heart of the Anime_

_**Hidden Huntress: **_Tia Harmon and ? - _We're All Okay_

_**Skybreaker: **_Scott Bishop and ? - _RedArrowCrasher_

Ashley White and ? - _Isetba_

Orchid and ? - _xXBrokenThoughtsXx_

Grace Elliot and Robin (Fletchinder) - _PokeThatPokemon_

Crimson Kaia and ? - _PokeFreak45_

Mae and Talis (Vulpix)

**The Crown**

Morgan Cadence Lockwood and Arthur (Mawile) - _SDproductions_

**?**

_Dark green-eyed man_

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><p><strong>I.. think that's everyone? If you want your OC to have a fancy title like 'Flame Dancer', go ahead and PM me! <strong>

**If any of you were wondering where Morgan went, here's something SDproductions wrote for you all. :3 **

It's commonplace to think that being scared of heights and being scared of flying came hand-in-hand. That's not necessarily the case, actually. While a person with a fear of heights would naturally have a fear of flying, the same could not be said for the reverse; a person with aviophobia may not necessarily be acrophobic.

It had been the case for Mae, and it was also the case for the sixteen year-old boy, currently perched on the back of a Pidgeot, and desperately trying not to scream.

Not that anyone would hear him this high up, anyways.

As Morgan hung on for dear life, his blond locks whipping haphazardly into his face, he tried to focus on what he had been thinking before he had set out.

_What exactly would Fraternity want with me?_ he thought.

That didn't stop the shriek that escaped as the Pidgeot veered to the left to avoid a low-lying cloud.

Meanwhile, Art was having a very pleasant conversation with the Pidgeot as he dangled from her talons, enjoying the cool air up high in the sky.

_"Maw, Mawile." "Pidgeot."_

And the rest, as they say, is history.

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><p><strong>Drop a review or something, thanks. (: <strong>

**I hope to see you guys when I post _Timeless Symphony: Starlight of Shadows_! **

**x**


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